Oral care products include a variety of chemical agents that perform a range of functions. For instance, toothpastes, mouthwashes and whiteners include chemical agents that help to clean teeth, kill bacteria, freshen breath and/or whiten teeth. These products typically cooperate with a device such as a toothbrush, an applicator device, or a tongue scraper, to perform their intended functions. In addition, chemical agents in these products may provide secondary benefits such as providing pleasing flavors or odors.
Oral care products that are directed to whitening teeth include an oxidizing agent as the primary active ingredient, such as hydrogen peroxide. These products are formulated into liquids, pastes or gels for application to the teeth. Upon storage, these products lose their whitening efficacy over time. In addition, these products have a brief period of efficacy when applied to the teeth in the oral cavity. For example, saliva contains high concentrations of the enzyme catalase, which on contact rapidly decomposes hydrogen peroxide into gaseous oxygen and water and so that there is only transitory contact of the peroxide whitening agent with the teeth. In addition, the low viscosities of aqueous peroxide solutions do not allow the peroxide whitening agent to remain in contact with the teeth for as long as is necessary to effect substantive whitening, because of the constant flushing effects of salivary secretions. As such, it is desirable to have high concentrations of oxidizing agents or effective oxidizing agents applied directly to teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,156,602 to Jiminez et al. describes a device for generating a chemical agent in situ on an as-needed basis via the application of an electrical potential across a pair of conductors in communication with an electrolyte. The device is a toothbrush that generates chemical agents in a user's mouth by applying an electrical potential to an electrolyte such as saliva and/or a dentifrice located therein. The chemical agents include ozone, hydrogen peroxide, peroxide, chlorine and/or hypochlorite. The toothbrush includes a voltage source and a first set of electrodes for applying an electrical potential to the electrolyte. The toothbrush includes a second set of electrodes disposed about an anode of the first set of electrodes. The first and second sets of anodes cooperate to produce ions, peroxides, ozone and/or other chemical agents via the application of electrical potential to the electrolyte.